ENVIRONMENTAL VERIFICATION
Verification on the SIZA Environmental Module is being offered in two different, but complementary ways (preference of the market you supply):
- SIZA CARES (Creating Awareness and Resilience in Environmental Sustainability) programme which is a continuous improvement programme where a statistically significant sample of farms will be visited to have their Environmental Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ’s) verified.
- A Third party Audit where selected farms will be visited to have their Environmental SAQ verified by an independent audit company recognised by SIZA.
The SIZA CARES programme will be based on a 25% random sample size which will be generated from the annual approved Environmental SAQ’s. This will ensure that each site will be visited at least once during a 3-4-year cycle. SIZA’s in-house specialist(s), will visit each farm to undertake an on-site review of SAQ data and evidence. They will also assist the farm with technical environmental support and advice to improve on their environmental practices and to drive continuous improvement. The output for the SIZA CARES programme is a long-term environmental improvement plan and a SAQ confirmation letter. This process (first visit) will be of no direct cost to the producer, as it is built into the annual membership fees. For detail information on the methodology of the SIZA CARES Programme please follow the link: https://siza.co.za/wp-content/uploads/SIZA-CARES-Verification-Process-Methodology-V2.0.pdf
Third-party verification will be conducted by a SIZA recognised audit company, on either member or market demand. This assessment will probably be a combined audit, where the Environmental audit will take place concurrently with another standard being audited, for example Global G.A.P food safety. It will then avoid duplication and save time and money. The outputs of this combined audit then generate two separate audit reports, each with its own Corrective Actions Plan Report that will outline the necessary actions required in a specific timeframe. For SIZA Environmental, corrective actions will be submitted online and once approved, a SIZA Environmental Audit completion letter will be issued. The frequency of this third-party audit will be based on the risk rating and level achieved.
